Platting machine



PLATTING MACHINE- Filed April 16, 1923' w INVENTOR. M WWW ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 27, 1927.

' UNETED STATES ERNEST ALBERT GAS'l,

OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

PLATTING MACHINE.

Application filed April 16,

My invention relates to platting machines for platting topographical sections, bound aries and similar matters.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a machine whereby topographical sections, as for instance, road or highway sections, and boundaries may be automatically platted. merely by the operator traversing the locality to be sectioned, or

moving along the boundary to be platted.

Other and incidental objects of this invention will appear from the following de tailed description thereof:

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine constructed in. accordance with this invention; parts being broken away;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the machine;

Figure 3 is a section on line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a section of one of the rack heads on line 44 of Figure 3';

25 Figure 5 is an end elevation of the rack head;

Figure 6 is a front elevation illustrating the operation of the device.

The numeral 1 indicates a base which may be of wood or other suitable construction.

" The base is arranged to be fixedly mounted upon an automobile or other vehicle. A

board 2, which is arranged to carry the working parts of the machine. is secured to the base 1 by means of hinges 3. The angular relation between the board 2 and base 1 is maintained by means of a quadrant 4 and lock nut 5. A hollow shaft 6 having a collar plate 7 is centrally secured to the board 2 by means of bolts or screws passing through the plate 7. Rot'atably 'mounted on the shaft 6 is aframe 8 which carries at the front a flat drawing board 9. The upper and lower walls of the frame 8 are provided with brackets 10 and 11. The upper brackets are adapted to receive a roller 12 for a roll or web of paper, and the lower brackets are provided with a take-up roller 13. The respective rollers are provided with ordinary tension hub constructions 14 and with thumb wheels 15 for operating the web in either direction. The upper and lower portions of the frame 8 are also provided with arched flanges 16 against which locking plates 17 are adapted to bear. One of the flanges is 1923. Serial No. 632,265.

provided with a spirit level 18 for leveling the drawing surface 9 about the axis of shaft 6. The frame 8 is also provided with a second spirit level 19 for vertically plumbing the board 9.

The platting elements next to be described for drawing upon the web on the board 9 are duplicate constructions, each operating from a point slightly beyond the center of the web which is opposite the axis of shaft 6. Each of these elements is identical and the following description will therefore be confined to a single element, and the corre sponding portions of the two sections or elements so far as illustrated will be similarly numbered.

Rotatably mounted on the shaft 6 is an arm 20. The arm 20 is provided with a bifurcated bearing head 21. Secured to the outer end of the arm 20 is a rack head 22 7 upon which a pulley 23 is rotatably mounted. The pulley 23 is provided with a pinion 24 which meshes with a gear 25 also mounted in the rack head. Formed with the gear 25 is a pinion 26 which meshes with a gear 27 mounted on the rack head. The gear 27 has formed on its lower face a pinion 28 which meshes with a rack 29 slidably mounted in bearings 30 in the rack head. The inner end of the rack 29 is provided with a head 31 which is adapted to carry a drawing pencil 32. A spring 33 maintains tension against the pencil to force it against the web 34. and a lever 35 or other suitable construction is provided to lift the pencil from the web. A second rack 36 is mounted in bearings 37 in the rack head. The racks 29 and 36 are interlocked so as to travel in opposite directions by a gear 38 mounted in the rack head. The bearing head 21 of the arm 20 is provided with a second arm 39 which extends on the opposite side of the shaft 6 and is provided with a counterweight 40 arranged to counterbalance the arm 20, rack head 22, racks, and other mechanism.

Mounted in a housing 41 on the back of the board 2 is a tension spring similar to a clock spring; The inner end of said spring issecured to the shaft 42 of a gear 43. which meshes witha pinion 44 on a shaft 45. Also fixedly mounted on the shaft 45 is a drum 46 to which drum one end ofv a cord 47' is secured. Said cord extends through the hollow shaft 6 and over a pulley 48, mounted in an arm 49 secured to the bearing head 21. The cord 17 extends outwardly and passes around the pulley 23 and thence through a perforation 50 in a flange 51 at the. end of the rack head. The free end of the cord is provided with a ring or other grip 52.

The shaft 45 is provided with a ratchet 53 with which a pawl 54 is arranged to cooperate to secure the drum against the tension of the spring.

A frame 55 is arranged to securethe web along its edges as well as at the top and bottom of the board 9, thus preventing displacement of the web by wind or vibration.

The operation of the device is as follows 2-- Suppose for instance a cross section of a road surface is to be made. The machine is mounted in an automobile or other vehicle. The vehicle takes a position on the roadway to be platted. he operator then levels the device around the axis of shaft- 6 securing it by means of the lock plates 17, andplumbs it about the axis of hinges 3 securing it in vertical position by means of the quadrant 4L and lock nut 5. It will be understood that the rack 29 is in inner position, that is the pencil is at its inner terminus nearest the axis of shaft 6, when the cord 47 is wound upon the drum 46 so that the ring 52 is against the flange 51. The operator standing on the roadway then takes the ring 52 and holds it at the same height above the roadway surface as the center of shaft 6. Holding the ring at this constant height he travels at right angles from the machine; while thus moving the cord 47 tilts the arm 20 upwardly or downwardly as the operator travels over a rise or fall in the land surface."

The outward movement of the cord 47 rotates the pulley 23, said pulley by means of the connected pinion actuates the gear 25 and this by means of its pinion actuates gear 27. Pinion 28 moves the rack 29 outwardly, the pencil 32 traveling over the paper in line with the displacement of the arm 20 by reason of the rise or fall of the ring 52. The pencil is thus caused automatically to draw upon the web 34 the sectional elevations of the road surface. Should the operator in traveling find it necessary to climb over a fence or other obstruction where it would be impracticable to counterbalance the tension of the clock spring, the cord may be released or slackened, the pawl 5A operating on the ratchet 53, preventing the return of the parts. The duplicate mechanism on the opposite side of the axis of shaft 6 may be caused similarly to plat the other side of the roadway. While the rack 29 is traveling outwardly as above described, the rack 36 actuated by the interlocking gear 38 travels in the opposite direction, thus automatieally balancing the rack head so that the balance of arm 20 and counterweight 10 is at all times maintained and the movements of arm 20 when actuated by the cord 17 is suitably sensitive. When the outer border of the surface to be sectioned is reached the pencil 32 is raised by means of lever 35 and the pawl 54: released; the rack 29 is then returned to original position by means of the tension on cord 17 produced by the clock spring. After the completion of the section the web 34 may be moved by means of the rollers so as to present a fresh surface for additional sections. It will be understood, of course, that the ratios of'the actuating carried by the rack head may be so selected that the travel of the rack 29 will bear any desired scale ratio to the travel of the operator carrying ring 52.

It will be understood that various modifications in details of the construction as above described may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present in vention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as-new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is I 1. A platting machine comprising in combination with a platting surface, a pivotally mounted arm arranged to rotate in a plane substantially parallel to said surface, a platting member movably mounted on said arm, means carried by said member for marking on said surface, means carried by said arm for actuating said platting member, and a cord adapted to rotate said arm and to operate when drawn outwardly from said arm the means whereby the platting member is actuated.

2. A platting machine comprising in combination with a platting surface, a pivotally mounted arm, a rack mounted on the free end of said arm and longitudinally movable with reference thereto, means carried by said rack for marking on said surface, a gear mounted on said arm and arranged to actuate said rack, and means arranged to be moved over a surface to be platted and to rotate said arm and actuate said gear whereby said marking means is caused to reproduce to scale on said platting surface the movements of said means.

3. A platting machine comprising in combination with a platting surface, a pivotally mounted arm, a rack mounted on the free end of said arm and longitudinally movable with reference thereto, means carried by said rack for marking on said surface, a gear mounted on said arm and arranged to actuate said rack, a second rack mounted on the free end of said arm, means whereby upon the movement of the first rack the second is moved in opposite direction for counterbalancing said arm, and means arranged to be moved over a surface to be platted and to rotate said arm forward to actuate said gear whereby said marking means is caused to reproduce to scale on said platting surface the movements of said means,

4:. A platting machine comprising in combination w th a platting surface, a hollow shaft fixedly secured at one side of said surface, an arm pivotally mounted on said shaft and arranged to rotate in a plane substantially parallel to said surface, a platting member movably mounted on said arm, means carried by said member for marking on said surface, means carried by said arm for operating said platting member, a tension drum mounted at the rear of said shaft, and a cord wound on said drum and having one of its ends secured thereto, the free end of said cord extending through said hollow shaft and being arranged to actuate sait operating means so as'to operate said plat-ting member when drawn outwardly from said arm, and to rotate said arm when its end deviates in its movements in the plane of rotation.

5. A platting machine comprising in combination with a platting surface, a hollow shaft fixedly secured at one side of said surface, an arm pivotally mounted on said shaft, a rack slidably mounted on said arm, means carried by said rack for marking on said surface, a pulley mounted on said arm, means whereby said pulley is arranged to actuate said rack, a tension 'drum mounted at the rear of said shaft, and a cord wound on said drum and having one of its ends secured thereto, the free end of said cord extending through said hollow shaft and around said pulley so as to actuate said rack when drawn outwardly against the tension of said drum and to rotate said arm on said shaft when its end deviates in its movements in the plane of rotation.

6. A platting machine comprising a combination with a platting surface, a hollow shaft fixedly secured at one side of said surface, an arm pivotally mounted on said shaft, a rack slidably mounted on said arm, means carried by said rack for marking on said surface, a pulley mounted on said arm, means whereby said pulley is arranged to actuate said rack, a second rack mounted on the free end of said arm, means whereby said pulley is arran ed to actuate the second rack in opposite direction from said first rack for counterbalancing said arm, a tension drum mounted atthe rear of said shaft, and a cord wound on said drum and having one of its ends secured thereto, the free end of said cord extending through said hollow shaft and around said pulley so as to actuate said racks when drawn outwardly against the tension of said drum and to rotate said arm on said shaft when its end deviates in its movements in the plane of rotation.

7 A platting machine comprisinga base, a standard mounted on said base and adjustable in a vertical plane thereon, a hollow shaft'fixedly secured to'said standard, a frame rotatably mounted on said shaft, a drawing board secured to said frame beyond the free end of said shaft, rollers mounted on said frame on opposite sidesofsaid drawingboard and arranged to support a platting web on said board, an arm pivotally mounted on said shaft, a rack slidably mounted on said arm, means carried by said rack for marking on said web, a pulley mounted on said arm, means whereby said pulley is arranged to actuate said rack, means for counterbalancing said arm, a tension drum mounted at the rear of said shaft, and a cord wound'on said drum and having one of its ends secured thereto, the free end of said cord extending through said hollow shaft and around said pulley, so as to actuate said rack when drawn outwardly against the tension of said drum and to rotate said arm on said shaft when its end deviates in its movements in the plane of rotation.

8. A platting machine comprising a base, a standard mounted on said base and vertically adjustable thereon, a hollow shaft fixedly secured to said standard, a. frame rotatably mounted on said shaft, a drawing board secured to said frame beyond the free end of said shaft, rollers mounted on said frame on opposite sides of said drawing board and arranged to support a platting web on said board, an arm pivotally mounted on said shaft-,a rack slidably mounted on said arm, means carried by said racks for marking on said web, a pulley mounted on said arm, means whereby said pulley is arranged to actuate said rack, a second rack mounted on the free end of said arm, means whereby said pulley is arranged to actuate the second rack in opposite direction from said first rack for counterbalancing said arm, a tension drum mounted at the rear of said shaft, and a cord wound on said drum and having one of its ends secured thereto, the free end of said cord extending through said hollow shaft and around said pulley so as 'to actuate said rack when drawn outwardly against the tension of said drum and to ro-.

tat-e said arm on said shaft when its end deviates in its movements in the plane of rotation.

9. A platting machine comprising a base, a standard mounted on said base and adj ustable in a vertical plane thereon, a hollow shaftfixedly secured to said' standard, a frame rotatably mounted on said shaft, a drawing board secured to said frame beyond the free end of said shaft, rollers mounted on said frame on opposite sides of said drawing board and arranged to support a platting web on said board, an arm pivotally mounted on said shaft, a rack slidably mounted on said arm, means carried by said rack for markin on said web, a pulley mounted on ranged to actuate said rack, means for eounterbalancing said arm, a tension drum mounted at the rear of said shaft, a cord mounted on said drum and having one of its ends secured thereto, the free end of said cord extending through said hollow shaft and around said pulley so as to actuate said rack When drawn outwardly against the tension of said drum and to rotate said arm on said shaft When its end deviates in its movements in the plane of rotation, and means for looking said drum.

ERNEST ALBERT GAST. 

